Staff Profile

Career Summary

Biography

Dr Vanessa Murphy is a postdoctoral research scientist investigating the characteristics, mechanisms and consequences of asthma exacerbations during pregnancy and their health impact on both the mother and the baby. She began in this field full-time in 1999, with her PhD studies on the effects of maternal asthma on placental function and fetal development winning numerous awards, nationally and internationally. In 2004, with a competitive 3 year fellowship from the Hunter Medical Research Institute, she commenced her post-doctoral studies with the Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases, under the supervision of Prof Peter Gibson, where she is continuing to build on her expertise in the area of asthma exacerbations and airway inflammation during pregnancy. Since 2006, Dr Murphy has pursued her research career part-time, and has taken three significant breaks from her career while having children. In 2007 she received her first project grant from the NHMRC, which investigated the mechanisms, characteristics and consequences of viral infections on asthma exacerbations during pregnancy, and she is currently funded by a part-time NHMRC fellowship which was also awarded in 2007. She is involved as an associate investigator on the NHMRC funded “Managing asthma in pregnancy” (MAP) randomised controlled trial, which successfully reduced the rate of severe exacerbations in pregnancy by managing treatment changes with the use of an objective marker of airway inflammation. This resulted in a high impact publication in Lancet in 2011. With pilot funding from HMRI, this study has now been extended to a birth cohort follow-up study, investigating the links between maternal asthma in pregnancy and the development of asthma in childhood, in collaboration with Paediatrician A/Prof Joerg Mattes and Prof Peter Gibson. A further highlight of recent years has been working on an exciting collaboration with the world leader in the field of asthma during pregnancy, Prof Michael Schatz and colleagues in San Diego, USA. Together, we have completed the first systematic review and meta-analysis examining the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes in women with asthma, which has resulted in a publication in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2011. Dr Murphy has been invited to write reviews several times, and this year was invited to speak at the European Respiratory Society Conference in Amsterdam in September on the management of asthma during pregnancy, demonstrating her recognition internationally in the field of asthma during pregnancy.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Newcastle, 03/09/2004

Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours), University of Wollongong, 12/05/1999

Research

Research keywords

asthma

pregnancy

Research expertise

Vanessa's research expertise is in the area of asthma during pregnancy, covering the effects of asthma on pregnancy outcomes, the management of asthma during pregnancy, and the mechanisms of viral infection in pregnancy.

Languages

English

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

110299

Cardiovascular Medicine And Haematology Not Elsewhere Classified

35

111400

Paediatrics And Reproductive Medicine

35

160599

Policy And Administration Not Elsewhere Classified

30

Appointments

Australian Part-time Research FellowshipSchool of Medicine and Public Health (Australia)

01/12/2007 - 01/03/2013

Awards

Research Award.

2005

Ian Potter Foundation Travel GrantIan Potter Foundation (Australia)

2005

Young Scientist SponsorshipEuropean Respiratory Society (Denmark)

2004

New Investigator AwardPerinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (Australia)

Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Research AwardASMR (Australia)This award allowed me to travel to San Diego to complete a 3 month collaborative project with Ferring Research Insitute using novel proteomic techniques.

2002

Best Oral Presentation by a StudentFetal and Neonatal Physiological Society (Czech Republic)

The Growing into Asthma Study: Wheezing prevalence and markers of airways inflammation in preschoolers born to mothers in asthma exacerbations in pregnancy$25,000Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute